Chakra: Chronicles of the Witch Way

by Ritu Lalit

The Japas are a race so secretive that their existence is dismissed as a myth. Tales of them abound in our mythology, telling of these men and women, possessing physical abilities beyond belief, playing with elements, with the power to curse and cure. They exist among us, mingle with us, ride our metros, visit our malls, and even go to the same schools and colleges as us.

Parineeta Mohan is a powerful Japni who has turned her back on The Witch Way. She has even brought up her niece and nephew as ordinary people, unaware of their heritage.

Their life changes when the kids disappear along with their cousin Roma.

A shocked and desperate Parineeta has to find them before enemies of her family do, and has no one to turn to but Jorawar, a man she is attracted to but can’t trust since he belongs to the sinister organization Pax.

The only way she can fight, win and survive is to embrace her heritage, return to The Witch Way.

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

I have written five fiction books and one nonfiction. The most well-known of my fiction books Wrong for the Right Reasons deals with the realistic theme of the life of a single mother raising her kids in today’s India. For my first non-fiction I have picked up a burning topic, of aged parents coping with being rejected by their adult children. I am a graduate with gold medal in English Literature and a postgraduate in English Literature from Delhi University she is a prolific writer whose short stories have been featured in the NCERT curriculum and in anthologies. She has also won many blogging awards. She can be found at these links
Website : www.ritulalit.com
Blog : http://blog.ritulalit.com/
Podcast : https://www.buzzsprout.com/1001188/ep...
Wikipedia Page : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritu_Lalit
Facebook Fan Page : https://www.facebook.com/RituLalitFan...
Facebook author page : https://www.facebook.com/Ritu-Lalit-1...
Twitter : @Ri2Lalit
Instagram : @ri2lalit

Reviews

[Ila Garg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indian market has yet to witness the popularity of novels dealing in super natural elements. The Indian readers are still not adapting to such readings. Although over the years, fantasy novels do charm them but not many of them are glued to them till the end. I experienced the same dilemma before picking up the third novel of the well-known author and blogger, Ritu Lalit, Chakra: Chronicles of the Witch Way. I had my doubts regarding the content of this book.
The first impressions of Chakra were a nice gripping cover design that enticed me to go on further, the great paper quality that made me feel utterly happy, and the magical world awaiting me in the realm of those papers. As I went on further, each word used by Ritu Lalit to describe the Japas, appealed to me and shook my imagination. Vivid pictures started getting created as I turned the pages. It was so gripping that I could not keep it down as Nandita Bose has rightly quoted, ‘An unputdownable supernatural saga of power plays and mystical allure that grips and entertains like dynamite.’ She had said in various interviews that her stories are a hugely inspired by the tales of rishis and munis her grandmother used to tell and it is very much evident from the book.
Ritu Lalit actually gave me a vision through this book; a vision to personify the five elements and explore their world. A magical tale in all its aspects, it gripped me from the beginning. I started believing in the existence of Japas and Japnis and lived this tale. The characters are so perfectly described that I could see them emerging out of the book right in front of me, playing their designated parts. It was flawless. Ritu Lalit did a marvellous work in this genre. I can say without any second thoughts that she researched a lot for this book. Such a masterpiece wouldn’t be possible otherwise!
Chakra is a beautiful journey imbibed with elements of suspense and thrill, magic and surreal effects laced within its folds. It’s not a simple fantasy story that can be read by kids and enjoyed, it requires your full attention and involvement; somehow Ritu Lalit managed to write this story in such a manner that it doesn’t fail to capture you and take you on the ride to a different world, a world of Japas and Japnis.
Even by the end of the narrative, you thrive and wish for more. You wish to escape into this new world created by Ritu Lalit for you and the climax leaves you craving. I was spell bound and for hours I just kept staring at the pages and the cover in between. I was intrigued at the end of each chapter and wondered what the next chapter has hidden in it.
Not even for a moment you feel bored while going through the chapters. The blend of magic and reality engulfs you and lets you explore a new horizon sitting in the comfort of your home. It makes you travel to places you never thought you could. I am curious what would the complete trilogy have stored in it. The next book in the series is being currently penned down by Ritu Lalit and I am already desperately waiting for it.
What makes this book so amazing for me is the quality, the perfection with which it has been delivered to the readers. The editing has been done with utmost care, or so it seems. This is the best part about this book. Since a few days, I had been reading books with such poor editing that I almost lost my interest in reading. Bad editing is such a put off at times. I am glad Author’s Empire Publication has given special emphasis on editing. Ritu Lalit’s Chakra in collaboration with Author’s Empire Publications has made a mark for me in the less travelled genre of magic realism.

[Blogwati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chakra is Ritu’s third book, and the first in the chronicles of the witch way trilogy. It talks about Japas and Japnis (witches and wizards) with awakened kundalinis and supernatural powers. Parineeta Mohan is one such Japni who has renounced the witch way. She lives like any other ordinary human being, (or a muggle, if you may please) and has kept their legacy hidden from her nieces and nephew. Alas, teenagers do find trouble at the most unexpected places. So when Sandeep, Samaira and Roma go missing, Parineeta has no option but to return to her roots to trace them. And of all the people, she has to trust Jorawar, a Japa who also belongs to the dreaded organization Pax. However, there are no free lunches. Peace of mind is often bought in exchange of war of thoughts, words and deeds. The question is, how far will Parineeta go to achieve this? And is this Parineeta’s story at all? The only one who could answer all these questions was the book. So I began to read.

Chapter one turned out to be quite something. Ritu Lalit, the clever woman that she is, had introduced 5 warring clans, one aging guru, 17 characters and one veiled murderer in ‘The Bloody Battle’. Phew! From there on she made it no easier. More characters joined the bandwagon in the next two chapters, with a time leap to add to my woes. I realized I could not just flip the pages of this book. I stopped reading, went back to my drawing board and crafted a bloodline to help me keep track of the cast. Green for the clans, Red for the clan leaders and their lineage, and Blue for the Clan members. Chakra – Chronicles of the Witch Way was demanding my undivided attention.

Read the rest here http://blogwatig.com/2014/03/chakra-r...

[Abhilash Ruhela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am done reading another book. There can be nothing better than spending your Sunday in reading a book that has a very beautiful cover page and indeed, a similar story that can refresh your mind and revitalize your mood. The book that I have finished reading is "Chakra" which also has the tagline "Chronicles of the Witch Way". It's written by Ritu Lalit. Well, like every time, this is not the review of a debutante author but this is Ritu Lalit's 3rd book. She is already an established author and does not need much promotion for getting her book sold. I even read it somewhere during the pre-ordering stage of the book that its 1400 copies got booked in pre-order itself. That's quite commendable. This 319-pages book is published by a fresh publisher in the horizon- Author's Empire. Well, we will talk about it later in the review.

ABOUT THE BOOK:-
The Japas are a race so secretive that their existence is dismissed as a myth. Tales of them abound in our mythology, telling of these men and women, possessing physical abilities beyond belief, playing with elements, with the power to curse and cure. They exist among us, mingle with us, ride our metros, visit our malls, and even go to the same schools and colleges as us.

Parineeta Mohan is a powerful Japni who has turned her back on The Witch Way.She has even brought up her niece and nephew as ordinary people, unaware of their heritage.

Their life changes when the kids disappear along with their cousin Roma.

A shocked and desperate Parineeta has to find them before enemies of her family do and has no one to turn to but Jorawar, a man she is attracted to but cant trust since he belongs to the sinister organization Pax.

The only way she can fight, win and survive is to embrace her heritage.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:-
Ritu Lalit dons many hats; she is a keen observer of life, a voracious reader, a parent, a blogger, an author and also an office worker. The last is most important since it pays her bills! She has written two books, A Bowlful of Butterflies published by Rupa & Co and Hilawi published by Popular Prakashan. Chakra is her third book.



Coming to the author, I would say, I never got a chance to hear story from my grandmothers or mother as none of them had any idea about what stories to tell a kid. :-) Hence, I used to read a lot of books in my childhood that were titled as "Grandma's stories" or "Bed-time stories". While reading this book, I got the same feel that I used to get while reading them. Even those books had some super-natural stories and even this book has a story that kept me indulged in the book continuously. Just like the grand release of this book, even the story is mega. Authoress has a very good power of narrating the story that you want to keep reading to know what's up in the next page and which twist is about to come. A perfect story needs many flavors in it and some extra-ordinary events and also some unusual graphs. This story almost touches the requirements. 318-pages are quite much in comparison to the books that are releasing these days but the book does justice to its thickness.

Story has many radiations. Some times, you will feel that you are in mythological world, then in an era of 2050, then you will find yourself in today's world, sometimes you will find yourself surrounded with magic while sometimes you will imagine unimaginable things happening in a page that for the world will just be page, but for you its a world of an unusual tale. I liked the way authoress related a story based on witch and chakra powers in today's world. After seeing the cover page and the thickness of the book, I was sure that I would get bored by the book but the power of writing and imagination took me to some other world which gave me a time that I want the sequel of this book to come as soon as possible. It is one sequel that I would be waiting for. Chakra power is something that even I would like to have after reading this book. But then, some stories are meant for the books only. :-) I will give this book- 3.75 stars out of 5. But you can surely go for it if you miss your Grandma's stories or childhood's fairy tales kind of stories.

Thanks.

ABHILASH RUHELA - VEERU!!!

[Dipali · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A VERY WELL KNITTED STORY ABOUT JAPAS, WITCHES, POWER, KUNDALINI, CHAKRAS AND SUPERNATURAL POWERS… THIS IS A NOVEL BY RITU LALIT …”

The story is about Japas who are in a race for power so secretive that their existence becomes as dismissed as a parable. This story revolves around our mythology era. Even first few pages would give you the feel as if you are reading a mythological drama where the men and women, possess special physical abilities beyond belief, playing with elements, with the power to curse and cure. They exist among us, mingle with us, ride our metros, visit our malls, and even go to the same schools and colleges as us. This is the perfect story with many flavors in it and some extra-ordinary events and also some unusual twist and turns.

Parineeta Mohan is a powerful Japni who has turned her back on The Witch Way. She has even brought up her niece and nephew as ordinary people, unaware of their heritage. Their life changes when the kids disappear along with their cousin Roma.

A shocked and desperate Parineeta has to find them before enemies of her family do. Moreover she has no one to turn to but Jorawar, a man she is attracted to but can’t trust since he belongs to the ominous association named ‘Pax’. The only way she can fight, win and survive is to embrace her heritage and get back to her witch power.

As the story moves ahead, at times you will feel that you are in mythological world, then it is completely different an era of 2050, then with another turn in story you will find yourself in today's world, sometimes you will find yourself encircled with magical powers while at times you will visualize unimaginable things happening in a page yet for others it might be just a page of book, however for you it will be a completely different world of an unusual tale.

Now my Positive viewpoints:

The concept and climax is good, on each and every page, every twist and turn in the story is captivating. The authoress has narrated the story so well that you want to keep reading to know what is there in the next page and which twist will be the next.

Some suggestive points:

Overall the book is really good and very well expressed. The only drawback of the book is the thickness of book, but then the power with which authoress has narrated the story cannot be written in an abridged version.

Final words:

Overall if asked I would say...this is a commendable work done by Authoress… (Ritu Lalit) I would give 4.5 stars to this book.

[Pankti Mehta · Rating 3 out of 5]

As soon as I read the blurb, I was intrigued. Although I am not a serious fantasy reader, I do enjoy those stories every now and then; and I was quite curious to read a fantasy novel by an Indian author. I am desperately hoping for some Indian author to beat Harry Potter series to pulp in the book sales.

But I digress. Coming back to Chakra, the story starts with a yagna being held by different Japa clans and the battle for power breaks out during the yagna itself. Although the description of the scene is awesome, too many characters are introduced in the first chapter itself and that might leave you reeling. However, do proceed further and you won’t regret it.

Read more at: http://panktimehta.blogspot.in/2013/1...

[Neoni Dsouza · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review:

It takes you to mystical world ... i have been watching movies and heard such kind of stories from my parents and grandma ... but its first time i have read book related to such magical world ... it kept me engaging till the end , curiosity was increasing at each turning pages .. although it was lengthy but it was wonderful read and did justice to thickness ... i loved it
Beautifully described each detail of event mention and we could actually visualize the scene in front of our eyes.. i guess it can be converted to be good mystical movie or series...
My best wishes to Ritu m'am ... thank u

[Anwesha Bose · Rating 4 out of 5]

TIF Review - Read Here
An alluring supernatural tale that keeps the reader glued till the very last page. There is magic, action, love and violence; with powerful mantras encountering modern day weaponry, Chakra: Chronicles of the Witch Way is one of the most fascinating supernatural modern day fiction we have come across.

[Sakshi Nanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's what I think about the book.
http://www.sakshinanda.com/2014/01/bo...

[Priyaanka Batra Harjai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chakras – Chronicles of the Witch way, if I put in simple words is a mesmerizing and captivating read. Moreover, as the cover page promises it to be, is truly an UNPUTDOWNABLE work of fiction. This creative work of supernatural powers is the awesome brainchild of the author – Ms. Ritu Lalit. Going with the past records, this is her third creative and what a hat –trick, I must say.

The author has a strong hold on her captivating writing skills, as penning numerous characters with so much balance and content is not as easy as said. In starting, I found the introduction of so many characters confusing and meaningless but as I flipped the pages, she introduced with yet, a few more and then I realised their importance. The story would not have been this much interesting, gripping and worthwhile in their absence. She describes the developments, struggles and encounters of different powers with so much ease that it was difficult to put the book down at any given point of time.

The message that came out strong says, ‘The truth is that your powers do not depend solely on the family you are born in. Each person has within him or her capacity to do great things. The innate abilities do not depend on your family or the social status you are born into’. This is such a truthful fact that applies to all.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading and being enriched with the chronicles and fell in love with the Witchy way. A perfect tele-serial script!

A highly recommended read for fiction, thriller and suspense lovers.

Source: http://booksnewsindia.wordpress.com/2...

[Samata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chakra: Chronicles of the Witch Way - A book with a different flavour

This book is a masterpiece and a must read for all specially those of us who are keen to get the flavor of those stories which we got to hear as kids.

Ritu has knitted well a story of witches who are leading a general life like every common man in the civilized society. These witches hardly use the power they own until and unless circumstances force them to apply the same. In the present century the witches enjoys a very normal life although there is enormous power within them even today. This hidden power within them helps them to smell danger before it reaches them, read the mental state of the person next to them, making movement of objects and to do any supernatural activities like creating a storm all of a sudden.
This is not only the story of Witches but also of the men with power equal to that of witches. Five clans of Japas form the base of the story- Jalaj or water, Varuni or wind, Bhumar or Earth, Pallav or vegetation and agnee or fire. The best part of this story is that it is chronicles of the Witch way- a women with power.

Review by Samata Dey

[Meghant Parmar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantasy fiction to make readers jump around to it's tunes. It's not the best of the fantasy fiction out there but has a fair share of thrills in it to charm the readers.

The book is haphazard at times with n no. of characters in it which is not good for the story but it's pacy enough to maintain the momentum.


The modern day setup is quite good too and works in favor of the plot but the story loses touch midway and towards the end as few characters take away the main motive of the book.


It's a good story and can be enjoyed with but with patience.

[Subham Chanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really really awesom book. Attracted by cover design,and the contain didnt let my expectation down. Just love the story,concept and writting. at the begining i thought this is inspired by Harry potter series. but nope,there is a shadow of this series.To many charecter could make you confused,whome to remember and whom to not. Hope Ritu Lalit will write another part of this series.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, pacy and interesting thriller based around the Indian supernatural powers and stuff like that. Quite enjoyed this one